This year's Chunin Ninja Exams were far more exciting than the ones Kakashi had taken. Not only did they feature Sasori, currently the strongest person in the Shinobi World, and Minato and Anyo, two former Kage-level powerhouses, but also Gaara and Naruto, two Tailed Beast Jinchūriki.
Even Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten, who had cheats at her disposal, were far stronger than other Genin at their level. If the young genius Kakashi had participated in this year's exams, taking first place would have been impossible.
After the Hyuga Clan's internal clash ended, the next match was Rock Lee against Gaara.
This had been the most thrilling battle of the entire Chunin Ninja Exams in the anime. After this fight, Rock Lee had effectively been benched for the rest of Naruto. There had been no similarly hot-blooded battle in memory. What a shame...
Once the two took their stances, the battle quickly reached a fever pitch. After removing his weights, Rock Lee displayed astonishing speed, putting Gaara on the back foot for a time. He even opened the fifth gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation and unleashed the forbidden technique, Reverse Lotus.
Yet his final blow still failed to break through Gaara's absolute defense. With his stamina exhausted, Rock Lee also lost the ability to fight.
Sasori turned his gaze toward Might Guy on the second floor and asked Anyo, "Kurotsuchi, Rock Lee is his student. The Eight Gates Released Formation is already this powerful with only the fifth gate open. How strong would he be if he opened the Eighth Gate?"
Anyo said gravely, "Sasori, remember this. If you ever face him, the moment he shows any sign of opening the Eighth Gate, don't hesitate. Run. It's a fighting method that takes both sides down together. I already witnessed